Anna Westley | Childbirth Educator & Doula

Congratulations on your pregnancy and upcoming birth! I am so glad you are considering doula care. I would love to connect with you and learn how I can best support you.

I have been a doula since 2005 and have supported over 100 families! I have seen again and again that thriving families have abundant support. It is an honor to provide that support during pregnancy, birth and the early days with your new baby.

My intention as a doula is to cultivate physical and emotional wellbeing for families during times of transition. I serve my clients with respect, compassion and non-judgment. I trust that you have the wisdom to navigate this time in your life in your own way. I follow your lead in all things and provide information and support along the way.

I have birth doula experience with hospital and home births, inductions, waterbirths, surrogacy, high risk pregnancies, birthing after loss, surgical births and VBAC. I am at ease with all kinds of pain management strategies: unmedicated, hypnosis, epidurals, nitrous oxide - whatever works for you.

I have postpartum doula experience with twins, overnights, loss, emotional complications, feeding challenges, in-hospital support, the NICU and more.

I enjoy working with all kinds of families and parenting styles. In particular, I aim to provide safe and affirming care to LGBTQ+ and polyamorous families.

As a certified doula I consistently pursue continuing education that enriches and deepens the care I offer families.

If you have any questions, please be in touch!

~Anna Westley

childbirth educator, birth & postpartum doula,

hypnobabies® childbirth hypnosis doula

Dip CBEd (CBI), CD/PCD(DONA), HCHD

she/her

Certifications

Birth and Postpartum Doula, DONA International
Diploma of Childbirth Education, Childbirth International
Hypnobabies® Childbirth Hypnosis Doula, Hypnobabies®
MotherWoman Facilitator

Experience

2019-2020 Taught parent education classes at Baystate Franklin including childbirth basics, infant care, labor support and breastfeeding
2005-2020 Provided doula care to 100+ families
2012- 2018 Facilitated MotherWoman support groups
2017 Facilitated monthly Fertile Ground Pregnancy Circles
2017-2019 Provided peer support to families experiencing infertility through Empty Arms Bereavement Support
2016-2017 Treasurer of the Board for the Green River Doula Network
2011-2014 Family Coordinator for It Takes a Village

Trainings & Workshops

Epigenetics and the Microbiome: The Latest Buzzwords in Maternity with Penny Simkin

The Best Start: Strategies to Reduce Early Feeding Problems with Nancy Morhbacher
Exploring the self: a doula's guide to discussing race, gender and privilege in birth and postpartum work with Morgane Veronique Richardson and Aimee Brill
Creative Movement for Birth with Michelle L'Esperance
Making Your Birthwork Trans Inclusive with Ray Rachlin

Spinning Babies Training with Lorenza Holt
Babymoon and Beyond presented by Nancy Madru
Pioneer Women's Health's Pregnancy Plan for women with substance exposure presented by Linda Jablonski
"Conversations about Care: Crafting more accepting and affirming health care experiences for the LGBTQ community" hosted by Valley Medical Group in partnership with Health New England
From Trauma to Triumph: Understanding and Healing the Effects of Early Trauma on Childbearing Women with Penny Simkin
Shaping the Journey of Bereaved Families in the Birthplace with Carol McMurrich of Empty Arms Bereavement Support
Center for Babywearing Studies three day babywearing consultant training
Sleep Consultancy presentation by Beth Grams Haxby
Developmental Movement Mat Chat with Lenore Grubinger of Amajoy
Birth Doula Refresher Workshop with Michelle L'Esperance
BACE-NMC Breastfeeding Conference
The Work for Birth Professionals with Terri Nash
Speedy Birth for Doulas with Michelle L'Esperance
MotherWoman Facilitator Refresher with Liz Friedman and Annette Cycon
Childbirth Education Essentials with Vikki Elson
Skin-to-skin in the First Hour After Birth with Nurture the Mother Birth Services
Listening to Newborns: What Babies have to Say about Transitions to Life with Linda Jablonski
Ayurvedic Perspectives on the Postpartum Period with Christine Devlin Eck
Compassionate Caregiving When a Baby Dies with Catherine Lammert of Share
the MotherWoman Facilitator Training
a talk by Amy Romano co-author of Optimal Care in Childbirth: The Case for a Physiologic Approach
Partners in Perinatal Health Conference
Postpartum Emotional Complications Workshop with MotherWoman
Better Cesarean Birth - VBAC with Michelle L'Esperance
Weekend intensive with Ina May Gaskin

"At every stage of labor, Anna explained the process, validated the intensity of my experiences, and made me feel safe. With her help, I was able to avoid getting an epidural, which was an important aspect of my birth plan."

"Anna came highly recommended from members of the yoga community, as well as the childbirth educator associated with our medical care. We were new to the area, had no family nearby, and wanted a doula to be part of our experience. We sought a team-based approach with an active role for my partner. From the beginning we found Anna to be an incredible source of knowledge."

"You can tell Anna LOVES her job. She loves the birthing folks that she works with, the babies that come, and she has a great working relationship with the medical staff."

"As a person, Anna is genuine, kind and warm. As a doula, she proved herself to be a pregnancy, birth and baby encyclopedia! "

Went to a fancy workshop! Met this uteru

"Anna provided me with valuable information about what to expect during my planned cesarean birth… She helped me to retain a sense of my own agency in the midst of a highly-medicalized experience."

"It brought tears to my eyes writing this as I recalled how difficult that first month was, and what a relief it was to talk to someone who understood.

I am grateful every time I breastfeed my baby and I'm grateful for the support Anna gave me in just the few visits we've had."

"When our midwives recommended an early induction for our birth, Anna helped us navigate our disappointment and other emotions warmly and supportively. She helped us formulate questions and visualize the induction process."

"Anna was great at helping me figure out what roles I would play as a father during the birth. She stepped in at just the right point, guiding us through the process, giving support, helping us get what we needed from the midwife and other hospital staff. Anna's fun, funny, and caring, very much about helping you have the experience you want rather than prescribing someone else's version of a natural birth."

"Anna knew I had used Hypnobirthing to prepare and was able to speak my language and immediately become a beacon of safety and support."

"I will never forget Anna's keen awareness, intelligence, calm and assured presence, and deep, heartfelt support for both me and my husband throughout our preparation for and during the birth."

Did you know there’s a Hypnobabies track

"One of the best things about Anna as a doula is that she is totally nonjudgmental and is only invested in your happiness and health, not any specific ideology. No matter what decisions you make, it's clear that she is there to ensure that you are happy and confident in your choices, whatever they are."

"One of Anna's greatest strengths is her attention to the needs of both partners. My wife was initially unsure about working with a doula because she felt like she should be my primary support. Anna was sensitive to this concern and in the end my wife was very appreciative of Anna’s role not only in helping me through labor but in helping her make sure her own needs were met."

"One of the things I appreciate most about Anna is her knowledge and experience with both natural birth and western medicine/allopathic practices and her complete nonjudgment and understanding about how both modalities can be helpful during labor and birth."

"Anna has a strong intuition about the progression of labor which helped me labor at home for as long as possible, confident that she would help us get to the hospital on time. Anna was a very calm and supportive presence and had great instincts about what would help me get through the more difficult contractions. She was a tremendous advocate for us, helping to ensure that our wishes were respected and that we understood our options every step of the way."

"Despite reading quite a bit ahead of time, my partner and I both felt pretty lost at times during the birth, so having her there to come up with smart suggestions for my comfort and sanity was invaluable. She was also really flexible and good at reading the room, knowing instinctively when to step back and give us space vs. when we needed more active assistance or intervention."